Sony has unveiled a fresh batch of PS Plus “extras,” including a three-month YouTube Premium trial, plus trials and savings for several other services. Still, plenty of players are not convinced.
“Take advantage of exclusive deals, free trials and savings from PlayStation, Sony and selected partners. All included with your PlayStation Plus membership,” Sony’s announcement says.
Those partners include YouTube Premium, DAZN, Audible, and Sony Pictures’ own Core. In other areas, PS Plus members receive a 5% discount when buying directly from PlayStation, can save 10% on gaming and audio from Sony Electronics, and get a two-month Calm Premium trial.
“In what way can a free trial be considered an added benefit??” one person argued on social media. “Calling free trials a perk is a big stretch,” another person wrote. “These are not true perks, these are just money for Sony by funneling people into these other memberships,” one person added. “A free trial isn’t enough for anyone. Put full Crunchyroll Premium on PS Plus and maybe then people will be satisfied,” another user proposed.
Others used the perks reveal to again criticize Sony’s reported plan to phase out PlayStation discs by 2028 sparked backlash online. One social media user asked, “Do physical discs even count as a benefit?” while another commented, “This feels like a sign of desperation,” said another before adding: “So many people have left PS Plus because of Sony’s plans to phase out physical discs, they are now attempting to lure people back with the same old bait and stick routine.”
The disc backlash does not seem to have hurt Sony’s financial results so far. In Sony’s latest financial report, monthly active users across the PlayStation platform rose 7% in September versus the same month in the previous fiscal year, climbing to 127 million accounts, a new high for September. Sony said this shows “the baseline of engagement is steadily improving.”
According to the same report, 78% of game sales during the period were digital, which is a substantial majority. With digital sales of first-party games, Sony keeps the full share of revenue.
- Three-month YouTube Premium trial
- Trials and discounts for other services
- 5% off when buying direct from PlayStation
- 10% savings on Sony Electronics audio and gaming
- Two-month Calm Premium trial